Relief washed over William. Talking to Oliver had been a good idea, as always. “I gotta go. I need to call the company and tell them to go fuck themselves.”
Oliver chuckled. “That’s the William I know. Tell Adathan I said hi.”
William hung up and took a moment to replay their conversation in his head, awkwardly aware of the stranger still sitting next to him. He’d never understood these kinds of people—they truly had no sense of personal boundaries. He couldn’t wait to be back home.
Home.
William had never had a roommate. It would be a massive adjustment, but he made an effort to stay positive. As Oliver said, giving Adathan a home was the right thing to do, which meant William had no other choice but to accept his fate and focus on the good that would come out of it.
For one, Oliver would get to socialize more. William could only imagine how lonely his life had been. He’d lost nearly everyone he’d once considered a friend, and barely got out anymore. When he did, it was usually after the sun had set.
Seeing himself in the eyes of passersby hurt too much.
Oliver used to have a wide circle of friends and to be quite popular with men and women alike—the same who, today, would recoil at the sight of his heavily scarred face. That was the thing with Oliver; he’d always been generous with his time, and he made whoever he interacted with feel important. It was no surprise he’d ended up surrounding himself with leeches and attention whores over the years.
The moment Oliver needed more than he could give, however, all his so-called friends vanished without a trace. William wished he’d been kidding when he told Oliver he was a magnet for self-centered assholes.
Except... maybe William wasn’t one of them after all.
Would a self-centered asshole take a stranger under his wing and decline a four-hundred-thousand-dollar check?
William smiled as he sat up. Nope. They would not.
He glanced at the stranger next to him, and his face dropped at the sight of tan skin and pearly white teeth.
Richard nonchalantly draped his arm over the backrest, his conceited smile making William’s stomach churn. “A fine morning to you, William.”
CHAPTER 10
Pride
“He’s still not for sale,” William hissed.
Richard wrinkled his nose. “Please. I have no interest in your used-up toys.”
White-hot anger flared in William’s chest. What the hell was Richard playing at? Just yesterday he was basically begging William to sell Adathan to him, and now Adathan was apparently not good enough for him anymore?
How was this attitude supposed to benefit Richard—was he just being a petty asshole because William had refused to give him what he wanted?
No. It didn’t matter what his motives were. Humiliating those he considered beneath him was what he did, and trying to understand his reasons would only give Richard more power. Besides, William was done letting himself be intimidated by him. Richard was just a sad, pathetic loser who was born into extreme wealth—a fucking parasite who’d never contributed to society.
“The fuck you want?” William spat.
“My.” Richard glanced pointedly around the high-end lobby. “Such crass vocabulary.”
William sprang to his feet, but Richard spoke before he could walk away.
“I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation.”
William looked over his shoulder, his pulse quickening with fury. Richard hadn’t overheard shit—he’d deliberately listened in on William’s conversation.
Richard leaned forward, a wicked smile growing across his punchable face. “For all your self-righteous preaching, you were quick to fuck your Serviteur, weren’t you? Tell me, William. How does it feel to violate your virtuous principles to get your dick sucked?”
William balled his hands into trembling fists. He hadn’t asked for anything. Adathan had wanted it. Adathan wasn’t a thing. He was a person with desires and needs of his own. William had merely listened.
Richard let out a grating laugh. “Goodness, William. You should see the look on your face. You’re so easy to rattle.” He leaned back nonchalantly, grinning as he nodded toward the spot next to him. “Take a seat. Let’s have a chat.”
William willed his heart to slow down. He had to stay calm at all costs. If he laid a hand on Richard, he’d be looking at serious legal trouble. Worse, it could make Adathan’s situation even more precarious. “I have stuff to do.”
